Cultural Cramps

Are we experiencing an unease amongst the creative classes? Are lines being blurred as new pastimes emerge and influence London’s evolving cultural identity?

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Retail Therapy?

We need more new experiences of the city and affordable opportunities for small businesses. A retail Line unites these ideas, creating a dense, mixed-use infrastructure that opens up this world beneath the city’s feet. Is this the future of repurposing London’s abandoned spaces giving opportunities to underground grass-roots creativity?

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Cultural Cues?

What does culture mean? Is there such thing as a new cultural currency? Are traditional definitions of culture sufficient to capture the modern ways in which we consume information, engage in leisure pursuits and use the spaces of our cities?

03 / 12

Creative Boom or Crash?

How do we fund cultural activity? What does this say about the importance of cultural capital to Londoners?

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Screentime v. Realtime?

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‘High’ v. ‘Low’?

What qualifies as culture? Does the consumption of one type of event over another make London any less or more of a great place to live? Has the way we consume devalued traditional cultural activities while boosting others?

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Pride or Prejudice?

The Stirling Prize takes place every year and is an opportunity to recognise the most important building of the year. Are the nominations a true reflection of the building that are used by our population each day?

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Breadth + Depth

As architects do we need to focus on spaces that support a wider range of activities when we think about the idea of culture

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Useful City?

When you look at what we build versus what we value culturally are we having the right debate about architecture in London? If London’s buildings are a framework for the social life of our city it is surely our responsibility as architects to design in a way that serves the perpetuation of this society.

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Architecturally Aware

Ben Derbyshire, the new president of RIBA shares his thoughts on the future of the architectural industry.